Undergraduate Research

BIO 1405/1406: Investigations of Modern Biology Concepts I and II

These courses are alternatives to the BIO 1305/1105 and 1306/1106 Modern Concepts of Bioscience courses.  Students in these courses work on research-based projects and have ownership of the questions and results generated from their work.  The learning goals focus on students experiencing an authentic scientific discovery and practicing the skills required for scientific communication.  Students have a chance to publish and contribute to the scientific literature, and to present their work at Scholars Day or other scientific meetings.  This early experience in research prepares students to be competitive for additional undergraduate research experiences.  Currently we have two sections of these courses, Wetland Biology led by Dr. Marty Harvill, and BEARS in the SEA, led by Dr. Tamarah Adair.

BIO 1406: Wetland Biology

This one semester course began in the spring 2009 as product of Robert Foster Cherry Award recipient Dr. Stephen D. Davis’ time in the Department of Biology.  The goal of the course is allow students to experience a research project from the beginning to the end. During the course the students will complete laboratory safety training, write a simple grant proposal, and generate their own research question. Working in groups of three students they will develop a hypothesis and an experimental design to test their hypothesis. As a part of their final grade they will present their research poster and write a paper. In the spring of the next year they will present their poster at Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Achievement (URSA) Scholars Week.

BIO 1405/1406: BEARS in the SEA: Biology Education and Research Students in the Science Education Alliance

(Biology Education and Research Students in the Science Education Alliance)

This two-semester sequence began in the fall of 2010 as a SEA-PHAGE course funded by HHMI. The SEA Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science, or PHAGES, project is built around a national experiment in bacteriophage genomics. Students isolate, name, sequence, and analyze newly discovered bacteriophages. Students make significant contributions to the field of genomics as they learn how to think like scientists.

BIO 4108:  Developmental Biology - C. elegans research

This lab accompanies the lecture course in Cell and Developmental Biology taught by Dr. Myeongwoo Lee.  Students use the model organism C. elegans as they study the effects of compounds on developmental pathways.